This invention relates to containers for food and refreshments. In particular, the present invention provides a divided container designed to fit one within another, thereby providing stackable containers which can fit closely one within another for ease of storage and shipment.
Sales of food and drink in paper and plastic containers has achieved wide acceptance among consumers. Such devices are particularly utilized in convenience stores and entertainment concession areas where they are used for sales of drinks and food such as popcorn, peanuts, etc. With respect to soft drinks, and beverages generally, a wide selection of flavors is available and it is often the case that consumer may desire more than one flavor of beverage at a time. Currently, the only option for enjoyment of multiple selections of beverage flavors is to utilize separate containers for each separate beverage. This situation can present inconvenience and difficulties if the individual is driving an automobile or carrying other objects or otherwise engaged.
Multiple containers may be especially inconvenient in the situation of an adult caring for a small child. Often the adult desires one flavor of drink and the child desires an alternate flavor. If the infant is too small to manipulate the container themselves, the parent must hold both containers and offer the child its beverage upon request. This requires the adult to manipulate two separate beverage containers, as well as the child, while conducting whatever other activity in which they are engaged.
Alternatively, at concession stands of theaters or parks or other entertainment situations, it is often the case that popcorn, peanuts, pretzels, ice cream or a shake or other types of food are concurrently offered to the public and the consumer wishes to enjoy two or more such foods. Also, it is often the case that while walking about the park or sitting in the theater two or more individuals wish to eat different foods but would prefer not to have large portions or manipulate a variety of containers--popcorn and buttered popcorn and beverages. Presently the consumer has no choice other than to purchase each different food item in a separate container.
A principal reason that concession stands avoid using subdivided containers is that if the dividers are fixed in place it is not possible for the containers to be stacked one within another. In this situation, the containers must either be stored in partially assembled fashion necessitating assembly by the concession personnel or the containers are stored assembled thus consuming large amounts of storage space in the concession area.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a subdivided foodstuff container which may be stacked one within the other in a completely assembled and ready-to-use fashion thereby avoiding the foregoing debilities of previous containers while allowing the consumer to select and carry multiple and different foods within a single container.
In summary the invention contemplates multiple food or beverage container sections connected together at a portion of a first sidewall edge thereby permitting an opposite or second sidewall edges of the container sections to be spaced apart so to permit insertion of a first sectioned container within a similar container. Latch means in the nature of a frictionally fitting bead and detente arrangement is provided on said container sections to enable connection of the container sections in fixed adjacent array.